Reformation
by KitKatKoffee
Summary: Reformation. It was a group dedicated to making people happy, even if the people weren't necessarily real. The people who worked there strove to create happy endings, even if no one in the human world would ever know. Annie was no different from the others who worked there with her; she just had a harder time dealing with geniuses. Very small amount of MelloxOC, eventually. R&R!
1. Prologue

Prologue

Annabel Elizabeth Hawthorne. It was a name that belonged to a young woman from the turn of the century. Though, the name also suited the fourteen-year-old orphan roaming the deserted streets of Chesapeake City, Maryland.

Said orphan was very short and scrawny in build. She had straight brown hair that just narrowly reached her waist, and light freckles dusted her friendly face in a flattering manner. The colorful braces that flashed every time she smiled were an asset to her kind and inviting appearance.

However, her most distinguishing feature was her eyes. If one took the time to look into them, they would see a dazzling array of color inside them. From a distance, they appeared to be a simple shade of blue, but enclosed was a light emerald color with flecks of tawny here and there.

Furthermore, Annabel despised her name. She thought it was old-fashioned and unbecoming for a girl her age. She always introduced herself as Annabel Hawthorne, like her now-deceased parents taught her to, but she greatly preferred to be addressed as Annie.

One other thing separated Annie from all other girls like her. In fact, it separated her from all people on the planet.

Annie had visions of the future. It sounded cliché, yes, but it was true. She never viewed this power as a gift, anyway. In her case, it only brought her trouble and confused her greatly. She had seen the death of her parents two weeks before the big house fire. She saw the orphanage she would have been sent to, which was why she'd run as fast as her legs would carry her after her parents were pronounced dead.

Most confusing of all, perhaps, was that she'd seen herself chatting with people who didn't even exist. People from her favorite _anime_, of all things.

She had always been a big fan of anime, which most of her visions pertained to. She foresaw things like Fullmetal Alchemist, Soul Eater, and the like. But none of them made any sense. For a while, she thought those types of visions were only dreams or things she _wished _could happen, but they never stopped.

Presently, a light drizzle began to shower the girl. Annie strode to the edge of the sidewalk, attempting to get out of the rain. She quickly took cover under a canopy that shaded the entrance of a small building.

The rain gradually went from a drizzle to a complete downpour. When it looked like there was no way it was letting up soon, Annie decided to go inside the building under the canopy.

Timidly pulling the gold-gilded handle of the wooded door, Annie stepped into the bright and spacious front room. It was an antique store-surely there would be nothing of interest for her there, but it had to be better than sitting out in the rain.

Overall, the place was gorgeous. It had an incredibly high ceiling, one of the highest she'd ever seen. There was a grand living area toward the middle of the room, with red leather couches and a rug that looked so soft that Annie could have slept on it. The whole room was warmed by a brick fireplace that took up almost half of the right wall. It was the closest place Annie had been to a home in almost two weeks, since her parents had died. She felt like crying tears of joy.

Annie's delighted reverie was broken when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. When she turned to face the source, she froze.

This was the most beautiful woman she'd ever seen in her entire life. She looked to be about twenty-three. She had long blond hair that cascaded all the way down to her knees, and it shimmered like gold jewelry in the light. Her features were all flawless, and she had the kind of body that made women take a hit on their self-esteem just from being in the same room as her. Her eyes were as deep and red as blood. Not only were they red, but they glowed.

It took a while for Annie to notice the way this woman was staring at her. It was as though she were seeing a ghost instead of an average teenager. Her expression was a blurred mixture of disbelief, ecstasy, and amazement.

And then she spoke, her voice like a group of gentle wind chimes in the breeze. "What are you doing here?"

That made her uncomfortable. Should she leave? "I-I was just trying to get out of the rain," she stammered, intimidated.

Suddenly, relief flashed across the woman's face. A smile finally broke out across her face, revealing a row of perfect white teeth. "What's your name?"

She made it sound like her name held real significance. Annie cleared her throat. "Annabel. Annabel Hawthorne."

The woman suddenly started clapping her hands together excitedly. "It _is _you," she trilled. "I knew it just by looking at you!"

Annie looked on in astonishment. Did she know this woman? She swore she would have remembered meeting someone like her. She would have remembered meeting someone with glowing red eyes.

The woman grabbed Annie's hand, grinning widely. "There's someone who will be _very _happy to see you." She gazed down at Annie pleadingly. "Would you mind coming with me?"

Annie went over the options in her head. She'd always been told never to go anywhere with a stranger. But this person looked completely harmless. Then again, did it matter if something happened to her? No one would miss her. No one was alive to miss her. She had nothing to lose. "Um…alright, I guess," she eventually mumbled.

The woman squealed in delight before yanking her out of the doorway. "I must say, you're here much earlier than I expected, young lady," she chided. But then she smiled again. "But don't worry. Victoria will make do until we finish arranging everything for you."

She began dragging Annie toward a very inconspicuous door in the back of a hallway to the side of the store. Annie tried to keep pace with her, keeping her eyes on the door she was being led to. At the same time, she pondered what was so important about her and who she was about to meet.

When they reached the door, the woman burst inside triumphantly. "Ta-da!" she shouted. She held Annie's arm up like a wrestler who had just defeated his or her opponent. Then, in her soprano voice, announced, "I found her! I told you she was close!"

Annie carefully scanned the room. Seated behind a large desk facing them was another person, much older than the one still grasping her hand. She held herself with authority, and Annie assumed this must be the first woman's boss. She had her light brown hair, which was graying slightly, pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head. She appraised Annie with calm but curious eyes.

"I see…You were right, Naomi," the boss said. Her voice was soft, but clear. "But she's so young. How can she possibly…?" she trailed off in wonder.

Annie shied away from the stare. She hated to be watched. On top of that, she was very confused. What in the world did these two want from her?

"Annabel," the boss said gently. "That's your name, correct?"

"Yes," Annie squeaked. Then, a thought occurred to her - Annie only told the first woman, Naomi, what her name was. She didn't tell Naomi's boss. "How did you know that?"

"Can you answer a question for me, Annabel?" Naomi's boss asked, leveling Annie with another stare.

She barely had time to nod before the older woman continued. "Is it true that you've seen things? Things that have yet to happen?" She paused, leaving the room in a tense silence as Naomi appeared proud of herself for bringing Annie here, and Annie tried to process what was happening. "Things that confused you, troubled you, perhaps?"

It was like this person could read her mind. Annie swallowed, her throat feeling raw. "Yes," she choked out.

The woman smiled in confirmation. "Well then, Annabel, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Victoria. Welcome to Reformation."


	2. Chapter 1

**Hi, everyone! Kitkat here! This is my first fanfic on this site, and I'm really, really excited to start uploading for you guys! Goodness, that's a lot of exclamation marks right there... Anyway, just in case you got confused by the last chapter, it was just the prologue. Real story starts here. And, if I get reviews for the next few chapters I upload (I already have the first few chapters saved on my computer) then I will continue! Be sure to leave a review to let me know that you liked it, and expect another update soon!**

**Disclaimer: I had a dream that I owned Death Note once. Sadly, it wasn't real. I do not own anything except my own original plot and my OC's.**

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Chapter 1

Annie's face scrunched up in horror. With each word she read, the knot that had formed in her stomach grew. This was not happening. She would take anything but this.

Annie's eyes darted up to her boss, Victoria. When words wouldn't come to her, she started to splutter phrases, trying without success to make a coherent sentence. "But you can't… I've never… I don't…"

Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Annie, will you be finishing any of these complaints?"

Annie sat silent, trying to come up with an excuse. She blurted out the first one that came to mind. "I haven't seen this one!" she whined, referring to her visions of the future. Annie usually knew every assignment she was about to receive, but this one in particular had caught her off-guard. And that irritated her. Annie's visions were never wrong. _Never_.

Victoria sighed. "I _meant_ to surprise you with this one. I assumed you would be excited for this." Victoria stood and smoothed her hair. "You've been begging for a tougher mission for weeks now." She gestured to the papers Annie held. "And this is at least three times as hard as your last assignment was. And your last assignment was no easy task either."

"But I've never even seen the show before!" she huffed. "How am I supposed to know what's going on? Or where I'm supposed to go?"

Victoria sighed. "Annabel," she began. Annie cringed with the use of her full first name. "You are focusing too much on that fact. You don't need much knowledge of the show to do any of this." She paused. "Now, what _do _you know about it?"

Annie took a moment to think. "Not much." She looked down at the papers in her hand again. "Let's see… I know that there's a notebook that kills people. There's a guy named after a letter of the alphabet trying to stop all the people from dying." She pointed to a specific paragraph on the first page. "And, judging from this paragraph right here, almost everyone dies."

"And that's all you need." Rolling her eyes at Annie's rather blunt description, Victoria went to sit behind her desk again. "So, any questions before you go?"

Annie's jaw dropped. That was it? "Only a million!" She asked the first questions that popped into her mind. "Who's Kira? He seems important to the mission. His name's everywhere on these first two pages! And what does Kira look like? How do I find him? How do I get him to trust me? That won't be easy, you know…" Annie trailed off when Victoria gave her a frustrated look. "Didn't I tell you that you already have everything you need? But, if you insist, I guess I could give you a little help…"

"Please?" Annie begged.

"All I can tell you is that Kira is a young man named Light Yagami. The rest you'll have to figure out for yourself."

Annie narrowed her eyes. "I can't just waltz into the world of Death Note and expect a major character to simply come running up to me. I'll have to get out there and find them. In order to do that, I need to know where to look."

Victoria crossed her arms over her chest. "Annie, I know you are perfectly capable of doing this. You've found major characters in much less user-friendly environments than this. You know how to find people." She smiled. "Remember what I told you before your very first mission?"

Annie smiled too. How could she forget? She used the motto every time she ran out of ideas on missions. "Of course I remember." She held her head up proudly as she recited. _"Instead of searching for the characters, make the characters search for you."_

"Perfect." Victoria clapped once. "Now, be creative, Annie. You're one of my most talented workers. And you're usually a perfect example of how to follow that motto when you work."

Annie shut her eyes and thought very hard. What could she do? How could she attract the main characters' attention? Finally, an idea came.

Annie's face lit up as she sprang from her seat, still clutching her papers. "I've got it!" She quickly scanned the page for the words she was looking for. "It says here that L is a world-renowned detective, right?"

"Right," Victoria answered, not knowing where Annie was going with that.

"And his main goal is to catch Kira."

"Also right."

"Well, then," Annie said confidently. "I guess I'm getting arrested under the suspicion of being Kira!"

Victoria smiled proudly. "I knew you would come up with something great. Now, go have fun out there. You have plenty of time to complete this assignment."

"Oh, wait," Annie said suddenly. She looked at her boss pleadingly. "Can you just tell me one more thing? Please?"

"What is it?" Victoria asked wearily.

"What does L look like?" Annie asked. Grinning, she added, "I need to know him when I see him so I can act more suspicious."

Victoria frowned. "Annie, I told you that I already gave you all the information I could to help you. It's more than enough for you to succeed."

Annie groaned. "Fine," she muttered. "I guess I'll go then." She started to walk out, but hesitated at the door. "I know I don't usually do this," she began, "but can I bring these with me this time?" Annie held up her papers. "Since I don't have the advantage of having already seen the show before, and I won't know what's going to happen…" She smiled hopefully.

Victoria sighed. "It will be extremely difficult for something to take you by surprise, Annabel."

Annie shrugged. "True." Even if Annie had no idea what the show was about, her visions would guide her through each key event before it happened.

Victoria thought for a second. "To answer your question, no." Annie started to protest, but was cut off. "It would be best if you didn't bring it with you because it would only make L wonder how you got so much inside information regarding the Kira case."

Annie scowled. Why did that have to make perfect sense? "But I'm _trying _to make L suspicious of me. And that doesn't have any evidence that I'm Kira on it!" Right after the words left her mouth, Annie realized she didn't even know what exactly Kira's crime was. So she couldn't know if there was evidence there or not. "Right?" she asked, tilting her head to the left.

Victoria deliberated for a moment. "Well, I suppose it doesn't. I guess you may bring it along with you if that is what you choose to do."

"Yes! Thanks, Victoria!" Annie gave a delighted smile before dashing out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

Annie skipped through the front room of the building, the antique shop. It was empty, as always.

The antique shop was actually just a cover-up to hide what the building really was. If someone ever came inside, which they rarely did, all they would see was an array of old and dusty household items. After looking around for a few minutes, the person would always leave. The only people who knew about the rooms in the back of the building were the people who lived there. That was Victoria, Naomi, Katherine, Paul, Luke, and Annie.

Each person that lived there had a special gift that had landed them a spot in this mysterious place. Annie's gift, of course, was her ability to see the future. She was the newest member of the group, but she was already one of the best in the business that they worked together to run.

Naomi, the strikingly beautiful woman that had been there the longest, sensed other people's gifts. She had found Annie when she had wandered into the antique store seven months back, just avoiding the rain. She was also the one that had insisted that Annie join the group before she had even arrived there.

Katherine and Paul were identical twins. They had the same ivory skin, the same bronze-colored hair, and the same feline-like topaz eyes. They also shared the same gift, the ability to read people's thoughts. The only ones that were immune to this were themselves. Katherine could not read Paul's mind, and Paul could not read Katherine's mind.

Luke was very tall and very broad-shouldered. He was very intimidating at a glance, but he was actually the most cheerful one in the group, besides Naomi. Luke was incredibly strong. He lifted whole cars with ease, and he enjoyed showing off by balancing the couches in the living area on one hand.

Last but not least, Victoria was the one who had started the whole organization. No one was sure what her real gift was, but it was much stronger than anyone else's.

For one, Victoria never died. She had been born in the late seventeenth century, and when she reached a certain age, however old she was now, she stopped aging. Eventually, she began to share her immortality with other people, starting with Naomi.

Naomi then began to search for other people with powers and bring them to Victoria. She would then pass her immortality to them as well. Naomi found Katherine and Paul in the eighteenth century, Luke in the early thirties, and Annie only seven months ago, two weeks after being orphaned.

Victoria loved to read. She used to spend hours of her day immersed in the world of literature. But she would take so much time out of her schedule trying to finish a good book, only to be bitterly disappointed by the ending.

Victoria despised unhappy endings. If a certain book didn't have a happy ending, or even an ending she just didn't like, she wanted to change it. And she had enough power to do just that.

No one knew how she did it, since no one knew the limits to Victoria's power. But one day, she managed to send Naomi, the first to join her immortal entourage, into the world of a book she'd read. Naomi, the optimistic person she was, befriended the main characters of the story and changed the course of the plot line completely. In the end, Victoria liked Naomi's work better than the original story.

So she continued to send Naomi to different worlds, drastically changing each plot as she went. Victoria was overjoyed that her plan was working so flawlessly, so she continued to do it. When Katherine, Paul, and Luke were found by Naomi, Victoria sent them to other worlds as well.

No one had ever formally named the group. However, around the time Luke had joined, he suggested that they call themselves Reformation. It was their job to enter the worlds of stories and "reform" their plots. Katherine, Paul, and Naomi loved the idea. The name lived on.

Finally, Naomi found Annie. Victoria knew that she was a big fan of anime and was already familiar with the plots. Victoria allowed her to go to the worlds with endings that Annie personally disliked. Annie had so much fun traveling that eventually, she went there for the mere sake of meeting anime characters that she liked in person. Her appearance would have no effect on the story in the real world, so why not?

Even though Annie had been a part of Reformation for the shortest amount of time, she was the one who traveled the most. She visited a new world every week. Victoria's traveling powers were unlimited, though, so Annie was allowed to come and go as she pleased.

Victoria let Annie travel whenever and wherever she wanted to, on one condition. Every once in a while, Victoria gave her specific tasks in a different world. Annie never complained about it because she enjoyed the freedom in other worlds too much. The tasks usually weren't difficult, even though Annie continuously asked for something more challenging.

Presently, Annie hurried down the hallway to the side of the antique store and stopped abruptly at her bedroom door. She yanked the door open, ready to prepare for her newest adventure. Humming tunelessly to herself, she went to her closet and fished out her backpack. She stuffed in her mission papers first, then scanned her room, hunting for things she might need. In the end, she settled for her laptop, the phone she used to call the other members of Reformation, a few more outfits, and a blanket and flashlight. The last two items were only for emergencies. Annie was sure she wouldn't have to stay overnight, but it was always good to be prepared anyway.

Annie went to the kitchen across the hall and got two bottles of water and a can of Diet Coke. She also brought along a small box of trail mix, just in case she got hungry.

By the time Annie was finished packing, her backpack was full. It was light, since nothing inside was really heavy, but it would barely zip. Annie slung one strap over her shoulder and headed toward a room that appeared to be a supply closet at first glance.

Annie knocked on the door three times and waited patiently. "Coming!" a high-pitched female voice sing-songed from inside.

Naomi opened the door suddenly. "Annie! Hi!" She opened the door wider and stepped off to the side. "Well, come in."

Annie walked in the dimly-lit space with a wide grin plastered onto her face. She took her backpack and laid it down on one of the chairs in the corner of the room. She sat down with it, even though she bounced energetically on the cushion. Annie always got extremely excited right before every mission started. It wasn't the nervous kind of excited; more like the anticipating kind.

Naomi's eyes glittered excitedly. "So, did Victoria give you your assignment? Do you like it? When are you leaving? How long do you think it'll take you?" With each question, Naomi's voice sped up, which was completely normal behavior for her.

Annie grimaced. "I may be a while. I don't know anything about this show. And I heard Death Note is really complicated too."

Naomi laughed. "I thought you might think it was hard. It'll be so much fun for you, though. Haven't you been wanting a really hard one?"

Annie sighed. "I wanted a hard _mission_. I never said I wanted one in a show I've never seen before. I have no idea where to go or who to find. I haven't even had a vision for days!"

Naomi tilted her head. "Hm. That _is_ a little weird."

Annie stood up, the butterflies in her stomach finally getting to her; she could never sit still for long when she had traveling to do. "Well, I'd better go and get a head start. I'll see you later, Naomi!"

"Okay!" Naomi started to hop up and down. "You'll tell me _everything_ when you get back, right?" she begged.

"Of course." Annie slung her backpack over her shoulder again and headed toward the back exit. "Tell everyone I said bye."

"Alright. Bye, Annie!"

Annie went to the keypad next to the door and typed in "Death Note." When she finished, she cautiously pulled open the heavy door.

Lying beyond that door was an alternate universe. There were different people, different places, and a very different future. Hopefully, Annie would be able to see that future. In this world, where everything was unfamiliar to her, she would need all the help she could get.

With one last deep breath, Annie walked outside, shut the door to everything that was familiar behind her, and stepped out into the busy streets of another dimension.


	3. Chapter 2

**Hi, guys! Kitkat again with another early update! To anyone reading this, just wanted to let you know that I have a few more stories in the works if anyone cares at all to read them =) (in case you havent noticed by looking at my profile, I prefer to do smiley faces with an equal sign instead of a colon)**

**Just one of them is the first ever (at least on this website, I'm pretty sure) Super Smash Bros and Death Note crossover, which is really not as stupid as it sounds... ****I have one Beyond Birthday fic, which I'm not really sure if I'm gonna publish here yet, but I'm definitely gonna write just because I had a dream about it and it was really cool =) ****Last but not least, a Soul Eater fic. I don't really care for my idea on it though. -_- Leave a review if you'd be interested in any of these ideas at all, please **

**One more thing! I just wanna give a shout-out to **justmeagain123 **for being my first reviewer! *points to herself* YOU TOTALLY MADE THIS GIRL'S DAY. **

**Be sure to leave a review if you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for enduring all my useless babbling! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. Only my plot and OC's.**

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Chapter 2

This was totally hopeless.

Annie folded her arms across her chest. The map of the Kanto Region of Japan in her hand resembled the human nervous system. She was pretty sure Albert Einstein wouldn't be able to read it. She was pretty sure no one on this planet would be able to read it. Annie couldn't even tell what the Japanese letters on it meant; forget trying to navigate with it. The map was no help when it came to directions.

She couldn't even ask a person for directions because everyone spoke Japanese. Annie swore, if L started speaking Japanese when she found him…

Not to mention, everyone kept giving her weird stares. It was most likely because of her American appearance. She was the only one on the street with a combination of brown hair and blue eyes. To say the least, Annie was not a happy camper.

Annie wondered to herself why in the world Victoria would cut her loose in all of this mess. Annie let out an aggravated sigh. With an exaggerated roll of her eyes, she started walking. She had no idea where she was going, but it was better than standing still. After about a quarter of a mile, Annie finally reached salvation.

Park benches, just on the other side of the road. She smiled. At least _something_ good happened to her. She walked quickly, almost jogged, across the street and plopped down on the nearest seat.

Annie took off her backpack and placed it right next to her. She reached inside, pulled out one of her bottles of water, and emptied about half in one gulp.

What was the date here? It had to be summer. Annie gazed up at the sun, shading her eyes. The sun was about directly overhead, so it was around noon. She wiped a bit of sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. It was at least eighty degrees outside.

She was starting to worry that the trip would take a lot longer than she originally thought it would. She had no idea what she was doing and nothing she saw made sense.

Annie reached into her backpack once more and pulled out the only thing that _did _make sense in this world. Realizing that she hadn't completely read over her assignment yet, she decided to review it here until she could formulate a plan. However, there was one thing Annie needed to do before she found any main characters. Get rid of the evidence.

Annie carefully studied the front page. Her mission here was typed in big, bold letters. It told her to protect L, Mello, Matt, and Light until after their original death dates.

First of all, Annie didn't know who any of these people were. How was she going to find them in this giant city if she didn't even know who she was looking for? Second, who were their parents? Who gave their children these names? Matt was understandable, but Mello? Light? Seriously. They had to be hippies.

Annie thought long and hard. If L found her, she couldn't let him see the front page. He would think she was insane.

After memorizing everything on the page, Annie tore it off the packet and began ripping it up. She had to make the pieces small enough so that no one would ever be able to put them back together. Not only would she be in big trouble if L saw it somehow, but L himself would be in trouble if someone like Kira found it.

Once that was finished, she threw the pieces into the garbage can to her right. Then, she looked at the second page. There was nothing too bad there. Just information on Kira and what he needed to kill a person. It also said that L already knew all of that. That could stay for now.

Finally, Annie examined the third page. It was also fine. Now having all of her data organized, Annie felt a little better about what she had to do. She felt a little less despairing now that she'd done at least one useful thing. Of course, at the time, she'd thought getting a map from one of the bus stations in town was useful, and look at how that turned out…

In an effort to give herself something to do, Annie dug out her laptop and turned it on. There had to be something about Death Note on the Internet. Maybe Wikipedia would help her out.

Annie got online and typed in "Death Note." When she hit Enter, however, no results popped up.

_What the heck? _Annie thought to herself. _Isn't this, like, the most popular anime of all time?_

A few seconds passed. Then it came to her. "Oh, right," she muttered irritably. Annie mentally slapped herself. She was in another dimension where no one knew about the Death Note besides Kira. Of course there would be no website about the Death Note.

Annie tried typing in "Kira." She hit Enter, expecting only one or two results at most. Instead, Annie's eyes widened in disbelief as pages upon pages of websites loaded onto the screen. There were websites made for Kira's followers, anti-Kira websites, news reports talking about Kira's killings, people that Kira killed, and at least ninety pages of the same things. How could Kira have so many followers? He was supposed to be a murderer. Why were millions of people supporting him? That was truly awful.

Annie closed her browser and snapped her laptop shut. Stuffing it back into her backpack, Annie leaned back against the bench. She decided she would just rest here until either a plan or the energy to keep walking came to her. She sat there for quite a long time, and was just about to close her eyes and fall asleep…

Suddenly, Annie jolted up as a shock ran through her body. Her eyes were forced open as if someone were gently pulling on her eyelids. She was wide awake now. Annie at last felt a twinge of hope as a soft white mist began to shroud the world around her.

Annie knew exactly what all of this meant. It meant that she was finally getting a vision. A guide that might be able to show her what she needed to do.

Annie relaxed as she let the soothing white mist overcome her. She watched in relief as shapes of buildings started to form. A scene of a city began to slowly materialize in front of her.

As the scene became more and more clear, it began to look more and more familiar. One building stood out in particular. It was quite large, one of the largest buildings she'd seen so far. Annie noticed a plaque in the front of the building. She craned her neck to read the letters, but they were very far off. Eventually, she was just able to make out the words.

"To-Oh University," she murmured, trying to drill the words into her memory. So it was a college. Whatever was going to happen at this college, it was important to the plot.

A bell rang loudly in the distance, coming from the direction of the school. Annie watched as older teens and young adults hurried out the front door, chatting happily amongst themselves. She waited patiently to see something important. Nothing happened. To-Oh University began to vanish, and Annie hadn't learned a thing yet.

_That's it? _Annie mentally grumbled. _That didn't help anything!_

Annie crossed her arms over her chest, angrier than she was before. She finally had a vision, and it didn't give her a single clue to work with. There must have been something wrong with her today. She'd been here for almost three hours and gotten nothing accomplished. Missions were usually almost finished by now.

She expected the fog in her mind to clear and to be transported back to the Death Note world so that she could pout some more. But that wasn't what happened. Instead, the same exact scene began to form itself again. Only this time it was evening. Annie still sat in the same spot, in front of To-Oh University, looking out over the campus. But instead of the sun being directly overhead, it was beginning to sink below the horizon, and a few stars shone dully in the darkening sky.

Annie looked over to the college campus. It was empty. Actually, upon looking around her, she realized that

the whole street was empty. That was unusual. She was in Tokyo. Wasn't it always crowded?

After about a second of just sitting there, someone broke the silence.

"Excuse me?" a voice asked from behind her. The person said this flatly, as if he didn't really care whether she answered or not. "Is this seat taken?"

Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. This was her chance. This was the clue she needed. The person behind her was a main character, she just knew it.

Annie prepared to thoroughly memorize every detail of the person behind her. She whipped her head around and saw…

A bush.

Everything was gone. The vision was over, and she hadn't seen a thing. She was back to the present time, which was whatever time it was in this world. She folded her arms across her chest once more and scowled at nothing in particular.

It was at that moment that Annie looked straight ahead and the last puzzle piece fell into place. Right across the path, barely thirty feet away, was a college. A plaque stood below it, indicating the name of the building.

To-Oh University.

Annie gasped in delight. She was here. That was why the vision was so familiar; because she was actually sitting right there the whole time.

There was a main character in there. She was positive. She finally did it. Now she just needed to get their attention. That was the tricky part.

Her mind was easily made up. She was going to sit right there and wait. Wait for whoever was in there to come out.

Fortunately, luck was on her side and she didn't have to wait long. No time passed before a bell rang in the distance, just like her vision had promised. She watched carefully as the students hurried out of the building. She didn't know exactly who she was looking for, but at least now, she knew that they were in that group of people.

Annie nonchalantly raked her eyes over the mass of students leaving the campus. Finally, her eyes fell on two specific people talking a small distance from everyone else. They seemed to blend in, yet stand out at the same time.

One was tall and nicely dressed, like everyone else was. His brown hair was carefully groomed. Overall, he was a rather handsome young man. The picture of neatness. Which was why Annie was so confused when she saw his companion.

He stood with a slouch, hands in his pockets. His raven hair was a wild mess and was in sharp contrast to his ivory skin. Everyone here was dressed so formally, but he had on a simple long-sleeved white shirt and faded jeans.

Upon closer inspection, this man also had dark circles under his eyes, a sign of sleep deprivation. He was the picture of uniqueness, for lack of a better word.

Seeing the two men standing together was almost comical. They were polar opposites. Annie couldn't help but stare.

The slouching one abruptly stopped talking. He pressed a pale thumb to his lips as though he were deep in thought. His eyes, which were just as dark as his untamed hair, peered over the other's shoulder. His calm gaze landed right on Annie.

Their eyes locked for a split second before Annie tore herself away. She focused down at her lap, embarrassed that she'd been caught.

She purposefully let her eyes wander for a minute or two. She wondered if one of the two young men was a main character. They definitely seemed to be the most interesting people in the mass of students that had just exited the building. But if they were main characters, then who was the person she was supposed to see this evening?

Annie allowed herself another cautious glance at the pair. Then she froze in panic.

Both of them were watching her. The one that had first spotted her chewed on his thumb warily. He analyzed her, examining her carefully, almost like he was expecting her to do something.

The second didn't bother turning to face her. He simply looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He was clearly less occupied by watching Annie than he was with whatever the other person had been telling him before. He narrowed his eyes at the other man and said something else to him. The other man just nodded once, finally turning his attention back to the conversation.

Annie averted her eyes again and decided to leave. She'd already seen what happened in the first part of her vision. She would just come back at sunset and wait for the second part to be fulfilled. It wasn't for another hour or two anyway.

Annie snatched her backpack off of the spot next to her on the bench and rose to her feet. She would come back to that same bench as soon as the sun began to set. Then she would meet her main character, complete her mission, and go back home.

She smiled victoriously. She wouldn't even have to stay overnight. This had worked out perfectly, despite the rough start. Annie swiftly turned a corner, and the two pairs of eyes that had been burning holes in her back vanished behind her.


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! Kitkat here! To anyone enjoying the story so far, sorry for the short hiatus... I was kinda obsessed with Pokemon: White for a little while. Yes, N surely is ah-mazing =) ...Which is why I cried when the game ended. NO, N WHY DID YOU LEAVE MEEEEEE? But I'm good now, because I recently had a dream that I was Hilda/Touko/whatever the heck you call her, and N took me with him. I know, I'm totally insane, right?**

**I know for a fact I'm insane because I'm up at three in the morning editing part of this chapter because I'm an idiot who can't read timelines... I accidentally wrote that this was all happening in 2001. Before Death Note existed. *facepalm***

**Let me just say that I personally dislike this chapter. I don't know why, I just don't feel like I did as well as I could have. But if YOU GUYS like it, then REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW PLEASE!**

**Trust me, it only gets better from here. I'll shut up now. NOW, READ AND REVIEW!**

* * *

Chapter III

The sky was beginning to turn a brilliant shade of orange. The sun was beginning to sink under the horizon. Not a person was in sight. It was absolutely silent on the street across from the campus of To-Oh University. And a very ecstatic Annie was perched on the park bench overlooking the school.

Annie pulled her legs up onto the bench with her and crossed them Indian-style, as her Kindergarten teachers called it when she was younger. She pulled out her remaining mission papers and her laptop and set them both on her lap. While she waited, she decided it would be best to do a little research on this world.

She had no idea what day it was, and that could prove to be important later. So the first thing she did was find a calendar.

Annie had assumed it would be near summer, and she was correct. It was April fifth, to be exact. She also noticed that it was the year two thousand seven, which was about four years ago. That only added more pressure because it was her first mission where there was an actual date set.

Annie looked around. It was pretty lonely out there. She silently hoped her main character would just hurry up and find her. This was starting to get boring.

While she waited, she looked down at her mission papers. Reading over them for the fourteenth time that day, she made a mental note to never ask Victoria for a challenging mission ever again. This was officially the worst assignment she'd ever taken. It might have been due to the fact that she'd never seen a single full episode of Death Note, but that wasn't the point at the moment. Annie just wanted to leave this confusing place.

Now would probably be a good time for planning what she would say when she met the main character. It really depended on which character it was that she was going to see. It was most likely bad to get her hopes up, but Annie really wished it was L. He would be able to lead her straight into the Kira investigation, and that was definitely the best place for her to be.

Of course, L was the least likely candidate for the first person she would meet. He might not even be in Japan, for all she knew. He could be conducting this investigation from another country, from another continent…

Annie searched "Kira" on her laptop once more and scrolled through the options. There was so much to choose from, she had no idea which ones would give the most useful data and which ones were just mindless fan sites. She eventually settled for a fan site, thinking she could at least figure out why so many people supported him.

Annie immediately started reading everything she laid eyes on. She eagerly absorbed the words in front of her, glad that she was finally learning. People were apparently supporting Kira because he'd been killing off criminals. Supposedly saving people's lives. Kira's followers saw him as a god of sorts.

He was only murdering those that he thought deserved it. Still, that didn't give him an excuse to kill. What he was doing was still wrong.

Annie was completely lost in her own thoughts, completely unaware of the world around her. She continued to read there on the peaceful bench, forgetting where she was and why she was even there…

"Excuse me?"

Take a moment to imagine that you're sitting on a park bench. There is not a single person in sight. It's sunset, and it's starting to get dark out. You're on a laptop and you're reading very intently. And then all of a sudden, a monotonous voice coming from behind you says, "Excuse me?" right into your ear.

It took all that Annie had not to scream at the top of her lungs. It still didn't stop her from jumping practically five feet into the air.

Annie's breaths became fast and ragged. Mostly, because someone had just come very close to giving her a heart attack. Second, because those were the same words and the same voice the person in her vision had begun with!

Annie spun around to face the person, and her jaw fell.

He was standing behind the bench in a slouch. One hand was in his jeans pocket, and one thumb was pressed to his lips.

Did he recognize her from earlier? Had he come back looking for her? Did he know she'd be here somehow?

Now that she had the chance to see him up close, Annie noticed that he slightly resembled a panda bear. He had the same snowy white skin, the same wide black eyes. The bags under his eyes even looked exactly like the black circles that pandas had. Unfortunately, that didn't help the fact that his presence was more than a little unnerving.

Annie swallowed almost audibly. "Um…hi," she ventured. She knew just what question was coming next.

Sure enough, the man asked, "Is this seat taken?"

"No. Go ahead." She shifted uncomfortably, scooting her legs closer to her.

Instead of walking around to the other side and sitting down like a normal human, like Annie had expected he would, the man climbed over the top. He sat with his feet flat, back hunched over, and knees pulled up to his chest.

_So that's where he got the slouch, _Annie noted. Looking downward, she saw that this man wasn't even wearing any shoes. Was there something wrong with this guy's head?

After he'd sat down, an awkward silence came upon the two. Annie chose this time to continue reading. She could feel the man's calculating stare on her, seeming to watch her every move.

And then it hit her. What if this man was L? What was she supposed to say to him? Or worse, what if he was _Kira_? She wasn't prepared.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

Annie looked up from her laptop warily. So he _had _come back looking for her. Now it was certain. This was definitely either L or Kira. She would just have to figure who he was based on what he said next. "I'm not sure. I don't remember ever meeting you," she answered calmly, gauging his reaction.

His expression didn't change. "You look oddly familiar," he pressed.

Annie's jaw locked. He was going to pull an answer out of her no matter how hard she tried to avoid the question. She might as well answer it. She forced a small smile and, trying to keep a casual tone, she replied, "Now that I think about it, so do you. What's your name?"

The man's eyes suddenly lit up, like he'd just figured out something very important. Like Annie's question had a hidden meaning. His voice never changed, though. The monotone remained as he said, "Hideki Ryuuga."

When this failed to elicit a response, he asked, "And yours is…"

"Annie."

Ryuuga's face fell slightly, dissatisfied with Annie's answer. He'd apparently been hoping for a full name.

Annie went back to her laptop screen. There was still no way to tell if this was L or Kira. She remembered what Victoria had told her before she left. Kira was Light Yagami-but people used aliases in this show. Did Light use one too? It was far beyond inconvenient that she'd never seen a single episode of Death Note before. This could've been so much easier.

Another silence came. Annie tried to think of a conversation topic. Something that she could use to distinguish between a detective and a mass murderer.

Annie clapped once. "I remember you now!" She feigned a sudden epiphany as best she could. Gesturing toward the college campus a few yards away, she asked him, "You're a student at To-Oh, aren't you?"

Ryuuga nodded. "Yes, I am."

All of a sudden, she got an idea. Annie scrolled up to the top of the page she was reading. The word "Kira" was prominent across the top. It would be impossible to miss. If anything could decide whether Ryuuga was L or Kira, talking about Kira himself would.

"I was sitting here earlier this afternoon, too. I was reading on my laptop." Annie casually angled the screen so Ryuuga could easily read the title.

Ryuuga took the bait. He studied Annie once more. He lifted his thumb to his lips again, and the light that had appeared in his eyes a few seconds ago intensified. "So, you're a Kira supporter?" he asked, seeming truly curious.

Annie had to be careful with what she said here. If this was L, she could very well get arrested if she simply admitted to supporting Kira. But if it were Kira, admitting to supporting Kira would be one of the best routes she could take. Indecision tore at her as she tried to come up with a mix of the two answers.

"Well…," Annie finally responded, "yes and no."

Ryuuga raised his eyebrows. "Hm? What do you mean by that?"

Annie thought for a second. "It's just wrong to kill people; everyone knows that. But then again, the crime rate has gone down by a lot lately, hasn't it? That's because everyone is scared to become a criminal; they're afraid that Kira will pass judgment on them. Of course," she continued, "if Kira's plan works perfectly, then it would just be a world where everyone is afraid of someone passing judgment on them. And that really doesn't sound like a happy world to me."

Annie was shocked at herself. That actually sounded almost intelligent. And she didn't even know half of what she was talking about.

Ryuuga thought this over. "That's a very interesting view on things, Annie," he stated simply.

Annie frowned; this guy was smart. He knew she was trying to figure out who he was, and he was making his replies as short and subtle as he could on purpose. He was hunting her real identity just as carefully as she was hunting his. Annie's plan was good, but his was better. She was walking the right track, but he was one step ahead. She was clever, but he was a genius. Okay, that's enough metaphors.

Annie was just about to attempt to spark another conversation, when it happened again. Except this time, it was on a much smaller scale. There was no fog, no jolting shock throughout her body. An image simply passed through her mind.

It was as though she were seeing herself through someone else's eyes. She was still seated there on the bench with Ryuuga crouching next to her. But abruptly she got up, quickly said something to Ryuuga, and scuttled off, dragging her backpack along behind her.

Another image went by after that one, this one of her walking through a crowded street. After going a little ways through the mass of Japanese citizens, she ducked into a building. It looked like a restaurant, though it was hard to say because the name of the building was written in Japanese letters.

Annie tried to memorize certain aspects of the building before the short vision went away. It was very tall, for one, towering above the two short stores next to it. The bricks that made up its foundation were bright red, easy to spot between the dull colors of its neighbors.

Then, as quickly as it came, the vision left. Annie blinked a few times, readjusting her eyes after the small flash. Powering off her laptop and stuffing it neatly back into her backpack, she turned back to Ryuuga. He'd been staring off into space, almost like he was occupied by his own vision of the future.

"Well, Ryuuga," she declared, standing up, "I should get going now. It's starting to get late."

Ryuuga looked up at the sky like he was just noticing the position of the sun. "So it is." He stood up too, not saying anything else.

Trying to be polite, Annie stretched out her right arm to shake hands. "So, I guess I'll see you around." She meant it to sound like it was just an expression, but she knew that she actually would see him again soon.

"You as well." Ryuuga grasped Annie's hand and shook it. "I'm very glad that I met you, Annie." He said this in the same monotone, but his black eyes were still alight with some important realization.

She blinked owlishly. _I'm very glad that I met you? _That was certainly an odd thing to say.

As soon as her hand was free, Annie rushed through her goodbyes and hurried away, not even turning around to see where Ryuuga was going. She continued on in the same direction she'd gone in her vision, her backpack thumping against her back with each step she took. The tall restaurant should have been just a short distance away.

She'd only been walking for a minute when she saw it. There was the same pattern of Japanese characters hanging over the door and the same bright red bricks. Not hesitating for a second, she quickened her pace until she was practically running toward the double doors that would take her ever closer to the end of this so far unsuccessful mission.

If her visions were accurate, which they always were, she would see either L or Kira again soon. There was only one downfall - it was getting late. If this went on for much longer, she may have been staying overnight. Once she made it to the center of the Kira investigation, her real work would begin. The so-called "easy part" of earning the main characters' trust was taking entirely too long.

Once she reached the restaurant, she shoved one of the glass doors open and slipped inside. It was a rather nice place with an inviting atmosphere. It was dimly lit and crowded, people laughing and chatting in Japanese. It got

on her nerves, being the only one there that spoke English.

Near the entrance was a bench, probably meant for people waiting on a table. Annie sat down and simply waited for anything to happen. L or Kira would have to come in soon enough, and she would be right there waiting.

Annie dug in her backpack for the third time that day and pulled out her phone. She still had no idea what time it was. Touching the screen to unlock it, she checked the numbers displayed in the top corner. She grimaced; it would be eight o'clock shortly.

"Excuse me, young lady," came a man's voice.

Annie looked up, surprised at the sudden English greeting. Two well-dressed men stood in front of her. The one that had addressed her had a short afro. The other, standing right behind him, was very tall and intimidating.

She smiled sweetly. "May I help you?"

The innocent act didn't work. The man kept a steely gaze as he asked, "Are you Annabel Hawthorne?"

Annie's eyes widened at the sound of her full name. "Um…yeah?" she said uncertainly, making it sound more like a question than an answer. Was it really safe to tell people that in this world?

The two men both reached into their dress coats simultaneously and pulled out the same thing.

_Police badges._

Annie's mind hurriedly became scrambled. She was so disoriented that she barely heard the tall man say, "We're going to have to ask you to come with us."


	5. Chapter 4

**OKAAAAAAYYY... I'm gonna save you all the HUGE apology speech I had planned for this author's note and just say what was going down in Kitkat Land for the past three months.**

**1. I officially started high school.**

**2. I became an aunt for the second time.**

**3. My OTHER niece turned a year old two days ago.**

**4. I became addicted to Ib. I watched Cry play it on YouTube every day (almost).**

**5. I had the world's largest writer's block. Seriously, guys. I lost my muse for three whole months. Three terrible, fictionless months.**

**6. I was working on later chapters, as well as companion fics to this story. And also several Hetalia one-shots.**

**So now that my listing is out of the way, I just wanna say HOW SORRY I AM that I was MIA for so long. I bet some of you thought I was dead, huh? Anyway, about this chapter... Just so you know, I think I kinda left you hanging with questions for the majority of it. So, yep... You guys waited and waited and waited and waited and I'm not even sure if this chapter is all that great... =( Seriously, I am making myself feel so guilty right now...**

**All that aside, if you enjoy this chapter, please review! You have no idea how much it helps me when someone says they look forward to my writing. Everyone who reviews gets virtual hugs all around =) You guys rock.**

**And now, TO THE STORY!**

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Chapter 4

_Crap, crap, crap, crap, CRAP! _That single word ran through Annie's head like a freight train. Her mind raced for ideas, but there was nothing she could do. Nothing she could do besides keep going. At this point, adrenaline was the only thing that _did _keep her going.

* * *

All her troubles had begun only a few minutes ago. Two Japanese police officers were trying to arrest her, and that couldn't happen. Who knew where she would end up from there? Annie had no clue what she'd done, but if she went to jail, she would be stuck in this world for years.

That wasn't her only problem either. If she was forced to spend years in custody, she wouldn't age. And if that didn't get her sent to a science lab to get experimented on-possibly worse-she didn't know what would.

When the two policemen had first approached her, she'd sat there, momentarily dazed, unwilling to accept the fact that she failed her mission. There had to be something. She almost felt dizzy as her eyes darted around the restaurant; more exits, a hiding spot, a distraction, she just needed _something._

And just like that, a miracle occurred. A waitress balancing a huge tray of steaming food came hurrying down the aisle, straight toward them. Annie hadn't wanted to resort to something like that, but it would have to do.

As soon as the waitress began to pass them, time seemed to slow down for a moment. Several things happened in one second.

Annie silently apologized to the poor waitress for what she was about to do.

She purposely put one leg out into the middle of the aisle.

The waitress, keeping her eyes ahead, let out a gasp and tripped. There was a loud crash, and food was flung in all directions.

The two Japanese officers instinctively jumped back as the majority of the food was projected toward them.

In the instant that the officers were distracted, as well as everyone else who had fallen victim to the flying meal, Annie sprung up and bolted right past them. She didn't bother picking up her backpack. All she needed was her phone, and she had it in her hand.

She tore through the glass doors-the same ones she came in from-and tried her best not to panic. She truly felt awful for that, but what else was she supposed to do?

_So what if that waitress gets fired? She's not even real, _Annie kept telling herself. She wasn't convinced, though. She already knew that whenever a human entered a previously fictional world, the world was real. Now that she'd interfered, this wasn't just an anime. It was real life until this mission was complete and Annie closed the portal she had created when she left her home.

Apparently tripping the waitress hadn't created as much chaos as Annie had hoped it would. One of the officers, the tall one, was already making his way out of the restaurant in pursuit.

Annie didn't hesitate after that. She sprinted down the sidewalk, not seeing nor caring where she was headed. As she ran, she shoved random people out of her way, earning herself odd stares, assorted Japanese complaints, and quite a few exclamations of "Baka!"

She was starting to sweat, but her breathing was in check. That was good; she'd be able to keep up this speed for a few more minutes. If she were going any faster, she'd be flying. Every muscle in her legs screamed for her to stop, but she continued anyway. The more distance between her and the restaurant, the better. She hadn't even looked to see if the tall policeman was still after her.

As she kept running, Annie appreciated now more than ever that she was wearing her old black Converse instead of flats or sandals.

Only when Annie started panting did she stop to look at her surroundings. She'd reached a much less busy part of the city. There were much fewer people milling about, less stores, and less car traffic on the street. It would be a good place to find a hiding spot.

If there was one thing television taught her, it was that it's a bad idea to go into dark alleys at night, especially in less populated neighborhoods. But looking around, there weren't really many options. There was a bar-that was out straightaway-a bookstore that was closed for the night, and a daycare center. Seriously, what idiot built a daycare center across the street from a _bar_?

Nonetheless, a dark alley would have to do, at least for a few minutes. Annie headed briskly over to the side of the bookstore, where said alley was located. She casually gazed over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't still being followed closely before slipping off the sidewalk into the deserted street. From here, she'd just have to wait until the policemen who'd been chasing her previously lost her trail.

She stood there, leaning against a wall. She tried desperately to catch her breath as she let a small smile cross her face. That was it; she escaped, and much easier than she thought possible. Now time to regroup and be on her way.

Unfortunately, her victory was short-lived. She had barely rounded the corner when someone grabbed her from behind. Her first instinct was to scream, but that option was quickly shot down. The person had placed a small mask over her mouth and nose. It was inevitable now-she was caught.

The girl didn't bother struggling; glumly accepting her defeat, she inhaled the pungent aroma contained within the mask. She didn't have time to process any more thoughts before her eyelids started to droop. Gradually, her body went limp. Before she had a chance to see her captor's face, the world around her faded into darkness.

* * *

Incandescent lights lined the brick ceilings. The concrete floor underneath the girl's small body was freezing. Nothing could be heard but a high-pitched ringing in her ears, so she assumed she was alone, wherever she was.

Finally, she was alert enough to recognize the steel bars a couple of feet away from where she was lying. Seeing them gave her an obvious hint as to her location. Everything that happened to her before she was abruptly knocked out slowly came back to her. The person who captured her must have been one of the two Japanese police officers that she met in the restaurant.

Blinking a few times, she tried to lift her head. But she quickly put it back down when it began throbbing in pain.

First things first, she had to figure out why she was in prison. Bracing for the return of the migraine, the girl attempted to sit up. To her dismay, she couldn't separate her hands. Or her feet, for that matter. She was tied up.

Man, what did those cops think she _did? _Was she a mass murder suspect or something?

In another desperate attempt to get into a more comfortable position, she started to roll on her back. Once she achieved that much, she used her feet to feebly slide over to the dreary brick wall. She grunted when her head lightly thumped against it, sending a fresh shock of pain through her skull. But she powered on, pulling herself up, using the wall for support.

Her hands were still uncomfortably sandwiched between her back and the cold bricks, but she would just have to deal for now. She would get this all straightened out soon enough.

A few stray strands of brown hair fell into her face, so she flipped her head back, careful not to revive her headache. Perhaps someone would come to get her out of there. Maybe someone was coming to question her. Maybe there was a way out, any form of escape…

"I see you're finally awake, Miss Hawthorne."

The girl weakly arched an eyebrow. Was that some kind of robot talking to her? Either that or someone was overdoing the voice modifier. She looked around slowly, searching for the source of the unusual greeting. Finally, she spotted a tiny speaker. It hung from the ceiling in the corner of her tiny cell, although it only resembled a small blob in the girl's blurred vision.

"You've been unconscious for a long while now. Are you feeling alright?"

Ugh, they didn't have to be so formal and polite. She was a prisoner, wasn't she? Still, she gave it an answer by lightly nodding. Of course, she wasn't "feeling alright," but she didn't expect any sympathy anyway.

"That's good. So maybe you'll be willing to answer a few questions for me."

Annie froze, finally coming to all the way. So this _was _an interrogation. Hopefully, now she could figure out why she'd been arrested. Then she could find some way to convince them that it had all been a misunderstanding. After she got out, she was calling Victoria and just plain ditching this mission. She was tired and hungry and extremely confused. Maybe she'd come back later after she watched the anime.

"I'll start with a simple question. Can you tell me why you're here, Miss Hawthorne?"

Annie shook her head, keeping her face placid.

The modified voice didn't reply for a while. Then it answered, "To begin with, you resisted arrest when confronted by two police officers."

She frowned, wondering if someone could actually do time for that.

"But that's not the most potent reason. Do you have any more ideas?"

Annie sighed heavily. She shook her head again, this time a little more forcefully.

The modified voice paused again. "Currently," he began, sounding just a tad bit bored of speaking with her, "you are under suspicion of being Kira."

Annie paled. Ha-so she truly was a mass murder suspect after all.

But maybe this was a good thing! This was exactly what she told Victoria she was planning right before she left home. If she played her cards right, this could lead her straight to L. Then, she wouldn't have to forfeit this mission after all. Only one obstacle remained: finding out who this person interrogating her was.

"Anyway, Miss Hawthorne. It is obvious by your physical appearance and accent that you are not Japanese. You are American, correct?"

She tried to respond, but all that came out was a squeak. So instead, she just nodded.

"Right. So, what I would like to know…is how long you have been in Japan, and your reasons for coming here."

Uh-oh. Here was Obstacle Number Two. _Oh yeah, I came to Japan to find L so I could save his life using my power to see the future! _That was believable, right? She might as well just beg him to throw her into the asylum.

It wasn't like she could say that even if she wanted to. See, Victoria didn't just let her run wild in all the worlds she traveled to. There were _some _rules. For example, she couldn't just invite fictional characters over to Reformation Headquarters for coffee. But that wasn't something anyone would do, regardless. Fictional characters didn't belong in the human world, period.

There was only one rule Victoria was rather firm on. _Do not tell a fictional character what you are._

It was probably fine to tell someone about her powers; half of the characters from her favorite anime had some kind of supernatural power themselves. But mentioning the organization in front of the person was forbidden. Strictly prohibited.

No one had ever done it before, and Annie did not intend to be the first. Victoria didn't specify with what the punishment was for this offense. _But rest assured, _the mysterious older woman had promised when Annie first became immortal, _you will regret it._

"Miss Hawthorne, are you still with us?"

Annie glanced up at the speaker again.

"Focus, please," the voice urged her.

Annie cleared her throat painfully. "I…" she tried, mainly testing her speaking abilities. It sounded, for the most part, like someone had poured a pound of sand down her throat. "I can't tell you."

She was left alone with the ringing of her ears, which had died down marginally, for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, the voice replied in an irritated tone, "Pardon me?"

"I can't tell you," she repeated sullenly.

There was a sigh. "This," the voice stated calmly, "is an interrogation, and you are a murder suspect. You cannot simply refuse to answer."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

Annie stared at the speaker in defiance. "Just trust me-it's better if you don't know."

"You probably realize this, but you are not putting yourself in a good position by not answering."

"Well, I'm sorry," Annie apologized while tossing her head. She sounded anything _but _sorry.

"Alright, then," the voice responded in a pinched tone. "Since you've chosen to be stubborn at the moment, I will merely leave you alone for now. Perhaps you will be more cooperative tomorrow."

The voice paused, most likely expecting a sarcastic remark or something of that nature. Annie just glared at the ceiling.

"Good night, Miss Hawthorne." There was a click from the speaker, meaning that the person had switched off the voice modifier. And with that sound of finality, the room returned to its original muteness.


	6. Chapter 5

**Kitkat here! That's right; I'm back! I'll open up by telling everyone how sorry I am for the long break I took. School was stressful, I dealt with a few family emergencies, and tried to balance this story with schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and taking the time to just enjoy life in general. And this story just wasn't fitting into the agenda for a while. But no worries, dear readers! I was never going to leave any of you hanging! It means too much to me that people out there, no matter how many read Reformation, enjoy my work and want me to continue this. So again, thanks to anyone and everyone who read my fanfics and leave positive feedback. You guys are amazing! And just so you know, while I was gone, I worked on a whole bunch of other stuff so I wouldn't have to take another hiatus. Here I am, telling all my friends about how much I hate it when good writers on this website don't update their stories, and here I am doing it to you guys! I don't think that's fair at all. So I worked really hard and finished this chapter, and about half of the next chapter as well!**

**And that concludes my apology rant. The last thing I want to say before I shut up is that it really means a lot to me when I open my inbox and I have one new review. It makes me feel like someone actually cares. So again, if you enjoy this chapter, please give me feedback! Constructive criticism is appreciated, though flames should be extinguished before you begin reading. Thank you and have a nice day. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5

L.

He was known as the greatest detective to ever live. Solving the world's most challenging cases was just something that came naturally to him. It was almost like a game at this point a simple chess match. Just him and a criminal, two opposing forces, trying to outsmart each other. To take the other player down.

He thought he'd seen it all, especially when it came to crime. Mass murder was nothing new to him, though he couldn't say that was a good thing necessarily. He knew murderers came in all shapes and sizes, not always the stereotypical tall, dark, and menacing.

All this, and there was one question that had been lingering in his mind for two days now. It had started out as nothing more than a basic inquiry, easily answered and then pushed aside. But it constantly returned to haunt him, day and night. Every time he spoke to his prime suspect, it would suddenly reappear, threatening to sabotage the entire investigation thus far.

_How could such a seemingly average little girl be capable of this?_

Sure, L had other prospects, but he just didn't have sufficient evidence against any other. And that troubled him; it was lazy work, and lazy work was unacceptable.

It was fairly early in the morning, and he'd recently finished another round of attempts to pull a confession out of her. It was all so strange; that first night she'd been there, she looked so helpless, so timid. Terrified.

The next day, her first full day, she gained a little more confidence. She blatantly refused to answer anything until someone told her what evidence they had against her. This was somewhat confusing to the renowned detective. She knew that he had the evidence to sentence her, yet she remained stubborn. And the sentence for a crime of her magnitude was death.

It would be very easy; he had the evidence, so he could sentence her to death at any moment he wished. But he couldn't do that until he found out, if she really _was _guilty, how she carried out her murders. What if she was innocent, like she claimed to be? If that was true, he might as well just pluck her off the streets and behead her. What good could that possibly do? It wasn't justice at all.

He was seated or crouched, in his case in front of a TV screen that clearly showed the suspect's cell whilst he went over various files, documents, and the like. The suspect was sitting cross-legged on the floor, leaning her head against the wall. She had recently been released from the restraints around her legs and wrists. It wasn't really what L wanted to do, but it was the only way she'd be able to eat.

Besides that, even after Annabel Hawthorne's arrest, the murder of criminals resumed, without even so much as a miniscule lapse in the schedule. This part was a little disconcerting for L. Perhaps Annabel Hawthorne _wasn't _Kira after all. Unless it was possible for Kira to kill solely by wishing death upon a person; it wouldn't be the most far-fetched theory he'd been pondering lately.

As the detective continued rifling through the paperwork, the events of the latest interrogation played back in his head.

_"Good morning, Miss Hawthorne. I trust that you slept well."_

_The suspect's only response was an icy glare toward the speaker._

_"Are you willing to behave more maturely about this than yesterday?"_

_"That depends," she hissed. "Are you?"_

_The snide comment was ignored. "Are you ready to tell me your purpose for coming to Japan?"_

_She haughtily averted her gaze. "I don't say those kinds of things to strangers."_

_This was at least the fourth time she'd used that excuse to avoid answering questions. On her second day, she'd even gone as far as to ask who the person speaking to her was. Usually, it wasn't an unreasonable request, but these weren't ordinary circumstances, and the Kira case was by far no ordinary case._

Once it was clear he could expect no collaboration from her, he left her to her own devices for a third time. The third battle, a victory for Annabel Hawthorne. But no matter how many battles she won, L was determined to win the war.

L was known as the greatest detective to ever live. And for the life of him, he could not figure out an average teenage girl.

* * *

"Day three," Annie muttered as a familiar sound rang out through the hall of the prison she was in footsteps. Someone coming to bring her a meal. At least she could move around now. Having her legs and wrists tied together was both uncomfortable and inconvenient.

The mystery voice had just finished speaking with her again, and it looked like she wasn't any closer to discovering his identity than the day she was first arrested. Sighing irritably, she got up from her bench in the corner and trotted over to the unforgiving steel bars to wait for her food. Her mind wandered to all her favorite restaurants back in Maryland, how she wouldn't get to visit any of them until she got herself out of this mess.

Her stomach growled loudly, and Annie swiftly placed her arms over her abdomen to drown out the embarrassing noise. Annie was especially hungry today; who would've guessed three days in solitary confinement could work up such an appetite?

The clicking of shoes against the floor gradually grew louder, until it reverberated against the walls of her cell. As the person rounded the corner in front of her, Annie gazed curiously down the hall.

It was the same person it had been for the past three days. An older gentleman with a kind face, wearing a fancy tuxedo and a warm smile. She'd never formally spoken to him yet she only ever saw him when it was time for her to eat.

Maybe he was the person holding her there. Unlikely, but possible. Annie just assumed he was working for the one interrogating her, whoever that was.

The man finally reached her cell, and their usual wordless exchange began. The man passed a plate through a small hole between the bars, and Annie took it with a blank expression. She then turned her back to him without a moment's hesitation. With that, he started to take his leave.

Annie glanced over her shoulder with a frown. "Hey," she suddenly blurted out, before she could stop herself. Just because she was angry at the one this guy probably worked for didn't mean she had to alienate everyone. Best to swallow her pride now and get it over with.

The old man stopped.

"Thanks," Annie murmured, frown softening.

He nodded. "It is my pleasure, Miss Hawthorne."

Annie flinched there was that lovely title she just _adored so. _"By the way," she told him as she sat down in the same spot she was in prior to his arrival, "you don't have to call me that. Annie is fine."

The old man chuckled, making him look almost ten years younger. "Of course, Annie."

And then he departed from the prison, leaving Annie alone once more.

For hours, it felt like, the young Kira suspect sat isolated in the dead building. She ate the food she'd been delivered, slept, paced, twirled her tangled hair, twiddled her thumbs. She did whatever she could do to make the agonizingly long hours pass.

She had long since gotten used to the cold temperatures in the cell, so she was considerably comfortable there now. But her head was still filled with so many nagging questions. Did Victoria know where she was? Would she come and rescue her? What if she was found guilty of being Kira? Would she be given the death penalty?

Annie had let all of her worries just stir around in her mind for days, ever since she was first thrown into this stupid place. She still had yet to figure out who was keeping her here, and furthermore, why they were keeping her. She had appealed to her captor on so many occasions to show her the evidence that was against her. But he denied her every time.

Annie was a smart girl. Not that she did it very often, but she was skilled in the field of blackmailing and trickery. If it were possible, she would have to find some way to get the upper hand of her opponent. The challenge was being able to do that from a prison cell, with absolutely no resources. She knew nothing about her opponent, save for the fact that he was hunting down Kira.

One thing that Annie had done in her new-found free time was make a promise to herself. No matter what happened, she swore, she would complete this mission. She couldn't let these characters down.

* * *

"Good evening, Miss Hawthorne."

"Good evening," came Annie's empty reply. Looked like it was time for another bout of avoiding questions.

"Since you've been here for a few days now, we'll skip the formalities."

In the corner of the cell next to the surveillance camera, a small television screen descended from a slit in the ceiling.

"If you could direct your attention to the screen, there's something I'd like for you to see."

Annie furrowed her brow. What was he going to try this time?

"Does this look familiar to you?" the voice asked as an image popped up on the screen.

It was a recently taken snapshot of a small stack of papers. Only about two or three sheets. Annie stared at them, puzzled. Printed in bold letters across the top was 'Annabel Elizabeth Hawthorne'. Annie's full birth name. Well, that explained how they knew her last name, anyway. In hindsight, it was a horribly careless mistake on her part. If they'd gotten their hands on that document so easily, so could Kira. She'd have to be far more cautious if she planned to stay.

…Wait a second. What exactly was that paper on the screen with her full name on it? Obviously it came out of her backpack. Could it possibly be…?

Her mission document.

Annie's face broke out into a cold sweat and her eyes, which were already sunken in from weariness, became wide as saucers. She left them on the park bench. She was talking to that man and then…

"These documents were found on a park bench by a Task Force Member prior to your arrest."

What was his name? It was almost a week ago that she spoke to him. He was L, she was sure of it now. How could she be so stupid, to just leave her mission document behind and forget his alias?

Upon further investigation, there was data here that was never released to the general public. This has led us to believe that you had access to police information, as it was proven that Kira did."

Annie could still clearly picture him. The wild black hair, pale skin, unreadable black eyes…

"Hideki Ryuuga," she practically mouthed, her voice had dropped so much in volume.

"Pardon me?" the voice−no, L−asked her.

"Hideki Ryuuga," she repeated, this time at a normal speaking level. "That was the man that found the documents while I was near…near…" Annie fumbled for the name of the school. "…To-Oh University. That's the name of the Task Force Member you mentioned, right?" If this theory was correct, then…

"…Yes, you are correct."

_Bingo._

Annie tried, without success, to hold back a triumphant smile. "Well, I don't think he was a Japanese policeman at all. I think he was L."

* * *

All the members of the Japanese Task Force had been gathered together in one room when Annabel Hawthorne's latest interrogation began. It was perfectly quiet while L, the head of the investigation, told her the whereabouts of the documents that had previously been analyzed.

In all honesty, L was beginning to seriously doubt this girl had any connection to Kira whatsoever. Since she was arrested, new information on criminals had been released, and several were promptly killed, even as she slept. At this point, it just looked like she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But if that was true, then how did she know so much? A breach in security? Someone who talks too much, perhaps?

The detective's eyes briefly shifted over to another officer, the youngest of the group, named Matsuda. A little airheaded in his opinion. Even so, he was still trustworthy. _And even _he _wouldn't be so idiotic, _L thought as his eyes returned to the job at hand.

Speaking into the voice modifier, he said, "Upon further investigation, there was data here that was never released to the general public. This has led us to believe that you had access to police information, as it was proven that Kira did."

The prisoner looked mortified. It was possible, however unlikely, that a confession was emerging. About a ten percent chance. Suddenly, barely moving her lips, she said something. It was the first time she'd responded to anything he said, save for a hollow greeting when interrogations began, in a while. However, it was impossible to hear, as she made almost no sound at all.

"Pardon me?" L asked her.

"Hideki Ryuuga."

Until then, there were varied whispers and the occasional murmur tossed across the room as the other Task Force members carried on with their jobs. But now all eyes were locked on the screen in front of L at the sound of Annabel's hoarse voice.

She continued in a monotone, like she was in a trance. "That was the man that found the documents while I was near…near…" She seemed to have trouble remembering the name of the college they had first met in front of. "…To-Oh University," she finally said. "That's the Task Force member you mentioned, right?"

L raised his thumb to his lips. What could she be hoping to accomplish now? Was she somehow aware of his identity? It couldn't be. "…Yes, you are correct."

She smirked and stared straight into the camera, any trace of fear having long melted away. "Well, I don't think he was a Japanese policeman at all. I think he was L."

As if involuntarily, each man who actually _was _a Japanese policeman looked to L, wondering how he would react. But he didn't. The only indication he even heard it at all was that he blinked only slightly longer than usual.

L turned to address the Task Force. "Is every one of you _absolutely certain_," he said quietly, his voice dripping venom even through his indifferent mask, "that nothing from our meetings has been leaked?"

Everyone quickly nodded.

He made a mental note to double-check that later. Chewing the nail of his index finger, he turned back to the girl. "A valid point, Miss Hawthorne. Unfortunately, I can neither confirm nor deny your hypothesis."

"Oh, you don't need to!" she replied, uncharacteristically cheerful. "I'm positive!" She brushed several stray strands of hair behind her ear. "And when you think about it, wouldn't the head of the investigation be in charge of interrogating prime suspects?"

So she was taunting him now. "The inner workings of the Japanese Police Department are none of your concern. I can neither confirm nor deny your hypothesis." L silently berated himself for allowing a hint of frustration show through his voice.

She waved one hand dismissively. "Alright, then. The more you say that, the more sure I am, L."

The detective was biting down so hard on his thumb now that he was almost starting to draw blood. Abruptly, he reached into his pants pocket, grabbed his phone, and dialed the number.

"Yes, Watari? Please make preparations to release Miss Hawthorne, and escort her here. I want to speak with her in person…Very well…Thank you."

Putting the phone away, he sighed heavily. "Well Miss Hawthorne," he began slowly, greatly irked by the triumphant grin the former suspect was sporting. She had singlehandedly cornered and beaten the world's greatest detective in his own game. Checkmate; she won. This time. "It seems that I have underestimated your deductive abilities, and I apologize. In any case, you are correct. I am L."

Annabel grinned with satisfaction, basking in her victory.

"Before I go, I wanted to tell you that I'm sending someone over to release you."

She gasped. "What? You mean…I'm getting out?"

"Yes, you are." L took a sip of his tea. "I'm very interested in meeting you again, face to face. Would that be alright with you?"

She leapt up from her seat on the floor, eyebrows raised with ecstasy. "O-Of course! It would be an honor!"

"Good. I look forward to seeing you again."

The girl giggled, waving at the camera. "Bye, Ryuuga!"

"…Until then, Annie."


End file.
